Fluid-press for rubber footwear.



J. R. GAIVIIVIETER.

, FLUID PRESS FOR RUBBER FOOTWEAR.

` APPLICATION FILED DEC. 29.1915. l Patented .my 10, 1917.

3 rSIIEETS--SHEET I.

[NI/ENTOR A TT ORNE Y.

'1. R. GAMMETER.

FLUID PRESS FORIRUBBER FOOTWEAR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 29 1915. Lymi@ Patented July 1o, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTORNEY.

J. R. GAMMETER.

FLUID RRESS FOR RUBBER FOOTWEAR. APPLICATION FILED Dec. 29. 1915.

Patented July 10, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

J6 EN.

NVENTOR .fddam BY W" AJM/uhm ATTORNEY.

I supporting plate.

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JOHN R. GAMMETER, 0F AKRON, OHIO, ASSGNOR T0 THE B. F. GOODRICH COMPANY,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FLUIDL-PRESS FORARUBBER FOOTWEAR.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, .loi-IN R. GAMMETER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Akron, in the county ofSummit and State of Ohio, have invented certainnew and usefulImprovements in Fluid-Presses for Rubber Footwear, Vof which thefollowing is" a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide improved means forcompacting the parts of a lasted rubber shoe preparatory tovulcanization, and thus dispense with a considerable part of the handrolling which has formerly been required.

My invention involves the action of compressed air or other suitablepressure fluid directly upon the outer surface of the sole and theadjacent portions 'of the upper, and

also the use of a flexible diaphragm of ap-- propriate shape, whichV maybe distended by fluid pressure, for sealing the mouth or opening of theshoe, the interior of the shoe ing the interior of the pot with a shoein place, and the fluid-pressure connections. Y

Fig. 3 represents a transverse section of the shoe pot.r

Fig. 4 represents an elevation of the controlling valve l device asviewed from the left in Fig. 2. y y A Figs. 5, 6, and 7 representhorizontal sectional views showing the controlling valves in differentpositions.

Fig. 8 represents aV plan view of the shoe pot with its cover down.

Fig. 9 represents an -enlarged vertical section of a portion of the lastand its support.

Fig. 10 represents a plan view of thelast- F1g. 11 represents a verticalsection show# ing the last-holding plunger. l

. Referring to the drawings, 2O represents a rubber-shoe pressing potopen at the top and -having a cover 21, whose edge and the Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented July MD, 494'?.

Application filled December '29, 1915. Serial No. 89,268.

upper rim of the pot are provided with complemental interlockingprojections 22, 23 separated byrecesses, to afford a quick locking andunlocking action by rotation of .the cover, the latter being pivoted at24 on an arm 25 which is Vhinged at 26 to the side of the pot, saidcover having a handle 27 for rotating it, and the edge of the coverbeing packed by a gasket 28. rlhe cover is provided with a glazed window29 (Fig. 8) through which the shoe anddiaphragm may be observed, and theinterior is illuminated in any suitable way, as by means of an electricbulb 30 '(Fig. l) placed directly in the pot.

3l represents a last with'a rubber shoe 32 thereon,placed in the pot 20bottom-side 'up and supported bya plate 33, the latter having a suitablenumber ofvertical pins and the last a corresponding number of holes forproperly centering or positioning the last, there being shown here asinglepm 34 occupying a hole 35 in the last which preferably extendsthrough to the sole in order to assist in venting the interior of theshoe, although the escape of the air from between the shoe and the lasttakes place principally through the shoe opening. The

squeezed-out air escapes to the outer atmosphere through grooves andholes 36, 37

(Figs. 9 and 10) in the plate 33. The said plate has a hollow stem 38and its under side has an annular rib 39 forming an air-tight joint withthe diaphragm 40, hereinafter4 described, and clamped against saiddiaphragm by a bolt 41 engaging a perforated cap or bridge-piece 42.

Diaphragm 40 is a flexible sheet of soft rubber vulcanized in the formof a cup whose cavity approximates the shape of the i foot or last inazone about midway between the sole and the ankle; and whose upper ymargin is formed with a Harige secured by plate43 and screws 44 (Fig. 2)to the upper edge of a cup-shaped plate or receptacle 45, forming withthe diaphragm a Huidl pressure chamber 46.p This receptacle and thediaphragm l prefer to make as a. single unitA which may be readilyremoved upwardly from the pot 20 wheny it is desired to change adiaphragm which may have be-A come defective or to substitute one of adifferent size. 'llhe receptacle 45 is held in place by a bolt 47 andyoke 48 (Fig. 3)',

and its joint with the bottom wall of pot 20 is sealed'by a ring ofpacking 49.

OTO hold the last down against plate 33, I provide a vertical pin orplunger 50 on the pot cover 21, said plunger having a heelengaging head51 at its lower end, a knob 52 at its upper end, a spring 53 mounted ina cylindrical casing 54 to raise the plunger, andcircular ratchet teeth55 on its stem, engaged by a pawl 56 which is projected by a spring 57(Fig. 8), to hold the plunger down against the last after it hasV beenmanually' depressed, the plunger being moved horizontally into and outof coperative relation with the pawl by the locking and unlockingmovement of the cover. The heel of the pawl engages a stop- 58 on thecover arm 25 when cover 2l is turned clockwise (as viewed in Fig. 8) tounlock it Afrom the rim of pot 20, and the plunger is therbyautomatically released from the paw Any suitable pressure fluid may beused in chamber 46 for distending and collapsing the diaphragm 40, but Iprefer a liquid (such as water) because of its incompressibility. A ventpipe 59 leads from the upper part of chamber 46 to the atmosphere and isprovided with a cock 60 for releasing air from said chamber.

The compacting of the sole and adjacent parts of the upper of the rubbershoe is performed by a suitable pressure fluid such as compressed airacting directly thereon in the pot 20, this air 'being admitted anddischarged through a pipe 61 under control of a plug valve 62 in acasing 63, said valve alternating the connection of pipe 61 with acompressed-air `pipe 64 and an exhaust port 65.

The escape of any substantial quantity of compressed air around the neckof the last or into the space between the shoe and the last i-sprevented by the diaphragm 40 acting as a contractile gasket or packing.For the purpose of actuating the diaphragm, I find it desirable toconnect the interior of chamber 46 by la pipe 66 with the interior of aforcing chamber 67 having a movable wall or septum in the form of adiaphragm 68, on the opposite side of which is a liquld-pressure chamber'69, the edges of the diaphragm being clamped between the halves 70, 71.ofV a suitable casing. 72 is a diaphragm follower retracted by a seriesof springs 73 of which one is shown in Fig. 1, and adapted to abutagainst the inner end of a stop-screw74 having an'external y hand wheel75 lfor adjusting it in and out,

this vstop-screw serving to limit the righth-and movement of the forcingdiaphragm,

and hence determining the maximum amount of distention of theshoe-packing diaphragm 40. As a single diaphragm 40 will properly adjustitself to a wide range of sizes and shapes of lasts, and as thenecessary amount of distention varies accordingly, it will be observedthat the stop niember 74 erforms` a highly important function. bviously,although omitted from the drawing, a suitable pointer may be provided'on the stem of the screw stop, coperating with a stationary index forindicating the proper position for the di'erent Asizes of lasts.

,The pressure iuid for chamber 69 may be water taken from acity main andsupplied to said chamber through a pipe 76 under control of a plug valve77 in the casing 63, which alternates the connection of pipe 76 betweena water-supply pipe 78 and a discharge pipe 79. In the pipe 78 is acheck valve 80 preventing the return of water therethrough.`

The two valves 62, 77 are operated by a single handle 81 whose hub-plate82 turns loosely on the stem of theair valve 62 and is connected tooperate said air valve with lost-motion by a pin 83 on its hub plateworking against the ends of a slot 84 formed in a plate 85 which isattached to the Astem of said valve. 86 is a plate fixed to the stern ofthe water valve 77. Said plate 86 and the hub -plate 82 are providedwith interacting mutilated gear segments 87, 88 and stop faces 89, 90,91, 92 in order that the initial movement of handle 81' from its po- Inthe operation of my apparatus, the

handle 81 should rst be turned to the position shown in Figs. 2 and 5 sothat the air and water valves62, 77 are venting their respectivechambers 46 and 69, which will leave the diaphragm 40 collapsed, septum68 at its leftward limit, as viewed in Fig. 1, and the pot 20 atatmospheric pressure. Cover 21 being thrown back on the hinge 26, alasted shoe is inserted in the pot, the cover closed and turned byhandle 27 to lock it, and the plunger 50 pushed down to hold the last inplace. Handle 81 is then turned clockwise through 90 to the positionshown in Fig. 6, whichv connects the water-supply pipe 7 8. with pipe76, but does not move the air valve 62. Septum 68 is thereby 'forced tothe right until the follower 72 meets the stop 74, and water is thusforced from chamber 67 through pipe 66 into chamber 46, distending thediaphragm 40 to its dotted-line position, shown 13o in Fig. 1, so thatit forms an effective pack-- ing around the mouth of the shoe. When thedistention has ceased, as observed through the window 29, handle 81 isgiven a further quarter-turn to the position shown in Fig. 7,- and theair valve 62 thereby connectsk air-supply pipe 64 with pipe 61 withoutanyl further change inthe position of the water valve, compressed airbeing thus admitted to the interior of pot 20 so as to act on the soleand upper of the shoe 32 and cause the parts of the shoe to bethoroughly compacted, the reaction of the cushion formed by thewater-backed diaphragm 40 serving to compact those portions of the upperwith which said diaphragm is in contact as Well as to seal the mouth ofthe shoe. After leaving the air pressure on for a few minutes, handle 81is moved back to its initial position and the air and water valves arethus successively moved to their discharge positions, wherebyatmospheric pressure is restored in the pot 20 and chamber 69 isrelieved so that the springs 7 3' may retract the septum 68, thussucking the excess water lout of chamber 46 and collapsing the diaphragm40, whereupon cover 21 may be 'opened and the pressed shoe `removed.

This apparatus dispenses with practically all of the hand rollingheretofore required except for the back seam and the edges of the sole.

Iclaim:- p 1. A: rubbershoe press comprising a pot having a support forthe lasted shoe, a Huidportion of the shoe exposed, and means forsupplying pressure fluid to the interior of said-` pot, for directContact with said ex` posed portion of the shoe.

Y, 2. A rubber-shoe press comprising a lasted-shoe container, means foradmitting pressure fluid thereinto to surround and press directly uponthe shoe, and a liquidbacked member for packing the shoe opening againstaccess of said pressure fluid to the inside of the shoe.

3. A rubber-shoe press comprising a pressure pot, a flexible packingmember thereon having approximately the shape of a shoe last in a zonebetween the sole and ankle, and means for supplying pressure uid to theinterior of said pot. 4 i

4. A rubber-shoe press comprising a pot having means for supporting alasted'rubber shoe and exposing the same'directly to the action of afluid under pressure, a chamber having a shoe-packing diaphragm as onewall, 'a body ofliq'uid substantially filling said chamber, and meansfor varying the volume of said liquid body.

5. A rubber-shoe press comprising a pot 'having means for .supporting alasted rubber shoe and exposing the same ldirectly to a pressure fluid,a chamber having a flexible wall for packingthe shoe opening, a body ofliquid substantially filling said chamber, and means including anon-return valve for supplying and retaining said liquid.

6. A rubbershoe press comprising a pot having a support for a lastedshoe, a diaphragm for packing'thev shoe opening, and means for supplyingtwo dierent fluids under pressure to opposite sides of said diaphragm.

7. A rubber-shoe press comprising a pot having a support for a lastedshoe, a ldiaphragm for packing the shoe opening, means for supplying twodifferent fluids under pressure to opposite sides of said. diaphragm,and interconnected valves for controlling the respective fluids.

8. A' rubber-shoe press comprising a pot having al support for a lastedshoe, means for supplying a. compacting fluid under pressure to theinterior of said pot, a compacting-fluid controlling-valve, a flexiblediaphragm for packing the shoe opening, means for supplying a fluidunder pressure to distend said diaphragm, a diaphragm-fluid con`trolling-valve, an operating handle, and connections therefrom to therespective valves compacting-fluid valve remains in its dischargeposition, and then to move the latter to an admitting positionwhile theformer remains in its admitting position, and, upon reversal of thehandle, to move said valves so as first to discharge the compactingfluid and then the diaphragm fluid.

9. A shoe press comprising a shoe-pressing body of liquid, meansincluding a septum, 'a septum-chamber, conduit structure and.controlling-valve mechanism, for separately supplying and dischargingliquid to project and retract said body of liquid, and a non-returnvalve in the supply conduit for said separate liquid.

10. A shoe press comprising a shoe-pressing diaphragm, a body of liquidfor distending and collapsing the latter, diaphragm and septum chambersin open connectionvfor containing said liquid body, ayieldinglyretracted septum for actuating lthe liquid body, and means forapplying fluid pressure to project said septum.

11. A shoe press comprising a shoe-pressing diaphragm, a bodyof liquidfor distending and collapsing the latter, a variablestroke liquidactuator, and an adjustable stop for said actuator.

12.` A shoe press comprising a shoe-press ing and collapsing the latter,a yieldinglyretracted variable-stroke septum for actuating said liquidbody, an adjustable stop .pressure to said septum to project the latter.

13. A shoe press comprising a shoe-pressing d1aphragm, dlaphragmandseptum chambers 1n open connection for containing a body of Water todistend and collapse said diaphragm, a septum forming a Wall of saidseptum chamber, a Water-pressure chamber on the opposite side of theseptum, and a by-pass conduit connecting saidseptum chamber andWater-pressure chamber and having a hand valve.

14. A rubber-shoe press comprising a pot having a support for the top ofthe last in a lasted shoe, sole engagin means for clamping the lastedshoe against said'support, means for packing the shoe in a zone adjacentthe ankle of the last, and means for supplying compressed air to theinterior .of said pot to compact the Walls of the shoe.

15. A rubber-shoe press comprising a container pot, a distensiblediaphragm for packing the shoe opening, a hold-down member forsupporting the shoe against the thrust of said diaphragm, and means forsupplying pressure fluid to the interior of said pot.

16. A rubber-shoe press comprising a container pot having a movablecover, a support for the lasted shoe,` a flexible member for packing theshoe opening, means for supplying pressure fluidv to the interior of thepot, a. spring-retracted plunger mounted on said cover for holding downthe last, and means for automatically catching and retaining saidplunger in its hold-down position.

17. A rubber-shoe press comprising a con.- tainer pot having a coverhinged t0 open and close and rotatable to lock and unlock, .L

means for supporting a lasted shoe in said pot, means for applying fluidpressure thereto, a hold-down member for the last mounted on the cover,a catch therefor, and

means actuated by the unlocking movement of the cover for releasing saidcatch.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-third dayof December, 1915.

' JOHN R. GAMMETER.

